The IRT-CS: Development and Initial Validation of a Survey Instrument Measuring Intellectual Risk-Taking in Undergraduate Computer Science Classrooms

Intellectual risk-taking (IRT)—engaging with epistemic uncertainty despite potential risk—is central to learning, yet few instruments assess it. This article reports two studies developing and validating the Intellectual Risk-Taking in Computer Science Survey (IRT-CS), grounded in a seven-strategy framework of instructional practices theorized to promote IRT. Using survey data from 244 computer science and psychology undergraduates at two U.S. universities, we addressed three research questions. First, does the IRT-CS demonstrate adequate factor structure, reliability, and measurement invariance across course subject, institution, and gender (Study 1)? The instrument showed acceptable model fit for its theorized seven-factor structure, good reliability across subscales, and full scalar invariance across gender, supporting valid cross-gender comparison. Second, does perceived classroom IRT culture predict students’ self-reported IRT behaviors, independent of course challenge and other covariates (Study 2)? Both perceived classroom culture and perceived course challenge independently and positively predicted IRT behaviors, providing initial construct validity evidence for the instrument. Third, do IRT behaviors and the culture–behavior relationship differ by gender or by disciplinary context (Study 2)? Gender differences in IRT behaviors were small and non-significant, and the relationship between classroom culture and IRT behaviors did not differ by gender, while disciplinary differences between CS and psychology students were substantially attenuated once classroom culture and challenge were accounted for. The IRT-CS offers a psychometrically grounded tool for investigating how classroom environments support student engagement with uncertainty.